Hatch covers of the type comprising a plurality of pairs of sections foldably connected to one another



Aug. 10, 1965 JERICIJQ 3,199,576

HATCH COVERS OF THE TYPE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF SECTIONSFOLDABLY CONNECTED TO ONE ANOTHER Filed Feb. 18, 1965 INVENTOR M/f/SJHW/Jfl BYWWUQM/ ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,199,576 HATQi-I CGVERS6F THE TYPE C(PMPRESKNG A PLURALETY 0F PAIRS 6F SECTIONS FQLDABLYCONNECTED T6 ENE AN-GTHER Boris Jericijo, Goteborg, Sweden, assignor toAhtieholaget Gotaverken, Goteborg, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden FiledFeb. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 259,134 Claims priority, application Sweden,Mar. 1962, 3,071/62 1 Claim. (Cl. 330-193) In certain types of hatchcovers, which are supported by wheels running on tracks arranged alongthe sides of the coaming, the sections are subdivided in smaller unitsin order to prevent the sections from being raised too high in openposition. The sections are thereby often by means of hinges connected toeach other in pairs, and in certain cases it is also proposed that thefirst section in each pair shall be wider than the following in orderthat the height of the coaming in the best manner may be used as stowingspace.

One object of the present invention is to obtain a simple arrangementwith a smaller number or" fittings and movable parts and whichfacilitates a proper guiding of the sections in connection with thestowing.

A further object of the invention is to arrange two mutually connectedsections in such a manner that they can be supported by two pairs ofwheels only and to provide means adapted to prevent the portion or" thesections between the two pairs of sections from sinking down below ahorizontal position.

A still further object is to interconnect the pairs of sections in sucha manner that a good guiding and a compact stowing of the sections isobtained.

With these objects in mind the invention is characterized by that eachpair of sections is supported by two pairs of wheels only, one of saidpair of wheels in the usual manner being arranged at the corners of thesecond section remote from the stowing ramp, whereas the second pair ofwheels is arranged near to the transverse axis through the centre ofgravity of the first section and that lugs are arranged at the meetingedges of the sections in each pair, which in co-operation with thepertaining hinges prevent a sinking down of the portion of the sectionsbetween the pairs of supporting wheels and that furthermore the pairs ofsections are connected to each other and to the stowing ramp in such amanner that the last mentioned pairs of supporting wheels willconstitute a centre during the earlier part of the opening movement ofthe pertaining first section and reversely a centre during the laterpart of the closing movement.

In the annexed drawing the invention is shown by way of example asapplied to a hatch cover comprising three pairs of sections.

In the drawing 1 designates the ships deck and 2 the coaming surroundingthe hatchway. In connection with the coaming a stowing ramp 3 isarranged on which the sections are stowed when the hatchway isuncovered. The sections are operated to open position by means of a wire4 attached to the outer pair of sections, and to closed position bymeans of another wire 5. The wires can be connected to a cargo winch ora corresponding gear in a manner known per se. The hatch cover sections,six in number, are grouped into three pairs 6 to 7, 8 to 9 and 10 to 11,respectively, and interconnected by hinges 12, 13 and 14, respectively.The first sections in each pair 6, 8 and 10 are much wider than thesecond sections 7, 9 and 11 as corresponds to about the height of the00aming, whereby a good utilization of the stowing space is obtainedwithout any surrendering of the demands upon an easy manoeuvrability forthe whole unit. Each of "ice the first sections is supported by only onepair of running wheels 15, and at the corners of the second section,remote from the ramp, there is a second pair of running wheels 16. Therunning wheels 15 of the first sections are arranged at the outer sideof, but as close as possible, to the transverse axis through the centreof gravity of said sections. As the following second sections are unitedto the first sections at their unsupported ends, there will be adefiective moment at the pertaining hinge, which will be counteracted byco-operation between the hinges 12, 13 and 14, respectively, and lugs 27arranged in the dividing planes. The sections thereby retain asatisfactory distance from the coaming during the horizontal movement.By this arrangement it is possible materially to reduce the number ofrunning wheels, and as these are comparatively expensive and require acontinuous supervision, an essential simplification. of the wholearrangement is obtained.

The location of the running wheels 15 and the height of the coamingdefine'the stowing space for the parts of the first sections reachingdownwards, and as the distance between the wheels and the outer end ofsections turned against the stowing ramp, often is greater than theheight of the coaming the first sections must be raised so that theyduring the last part of the stowing movement do not touch the deck.

The guiding .of the first section in the first pair consists in a knownmanner of rollers 17 attached to each outer corner of the section, whichco-operate with vertical slots 18 located in portions 19 constitutingsupports for the horizontal beams forming tracks in the ramp. Therollers 17 are so arranged that they do not touch said beams andconsequently they normaliy do not support the section. At the end of themovement of the pertaining section the rollers are caught by stoppers29, which are obliquely bevelled. The opposite part of the support forthe beam is bevelled in the same manner so that the roller easily slidesinto the guiding slot, and at the same time co-operates in the raisingoperation. The pulling Wire 4 is attached to the outer pair of sectionsnear to the hinge 14- and passes between pulleys 22 and 23, located nearto the folding hinges 12 and 13, respectively, of the preceding pairs ofsections. When the sections lie horizontally over the hatchway and apulling force is applied to wire 4, the whole string of sections isdisplaced along the ramp. The wire runs over a pulley 24 attached to adeck-house. When the rollers 17 reach the stoppers 20, the Wire forms anangle with one part between the pulley 2dand the first pulley 22 and asecond part horizontally outwards to the point of attachment at theouter pair of sections. As the horizontal movement ceases,.a continuedpulling in the wire will straighten the same between the pulley 24 andthe outer point of attachment, whereby the pulley 22 and also thesections 6 and 7 are raised. The roller 17 then sinks down into the slot18. This is so designed that the measure between its bottom and thetrack on the ramp is smaller than the measure between the bottom and thelower part of the running wheels 15, and for that reason said wheels areraised from the track during a continued folding movement and will belocated a good distance above the track, when the sections reach theirfinal vertical position.

It is of essential importance for operating the hatch covers that theyin open position reset in an intended point, i.e. in this case in thebottom of the guiding, so that possible defects during the mounting donot result in the section being supported by the wheel 15.

The following pairs of sections are united to the preceding pair bymeans of links 25. These are pivotally attached to the fittings whichconstitute attachments for the running wheels on the second section inthe preceding pair and the first section in the following pair at asuitable point, in such a manner that the running wheels also in thiscase will definitely be raised from the track of the ramp. The ramp isprovided with brackets 26 adapted to support the lower part of the linksduring the last part of the opening movement. The links will thus beeffectively supported and the section rests safely. The links arearranged inside the tracks of the ramp and are thus in the best mannerprotected against external damage and at the same time the risk foraccidents at work is avoided as much as possible.

What I claim is:

In a ship having a deck with a hatch opening therein,

a coarning and a hatch cover adapted to cooperate with said coarning,said cover comprising a number of pairs of first and second sectionsconnected to each other by means of hinges, said sections being arrangedto be automatically folded and unfolded by means of a pulling mechanismacting essentially horizontally both ways in the longitudinal directionof the hatch opening, the first section of each pair being about as muchwider then the second section of the same pair as corresponds to theheight of the coaming;

tracks for supporting said sections along two sides of the coaming;

a stowing ramp situated at one end of the opening and arranged at aboutthe same level as the upper edge of the coaming;

a single pair of first supporting wheels on the first, larger sectionarranged near the transverse axis through the center of gravity thereof;

a single pair of second supporting wheels on the second section arrangedat the corners thereof remote from the stowing ramp;

lugs arranged at the meeting edges of the hinged sections of each pairadapted in cooperation with the pertaining hinges to prevent a sinkingdown of the portion of the sections between the two pairs of supportingWheels;

vertical guiding slotsin the ramp adjacent the end of the ramp remotefrom said hatch opening;

hinge means connecting the larger end section of the first pair to theramp, said hinge means containing pin-shaped members at the frontcorners of said larger section adapted for cooperation with saidvertical guiding slots;

and linkage means connecting the larger section of each succeeding pairwith the second pair with the second section of a preceding pair, saidlinkage accommodating a considerable displacement between abutting edgesof said large and second sections;

said hinge means being so designed that the pair of first supportingwheels constitute a turning center during the early part of the openingmovement of the pretaining section and reversely a corresponding centerduring the later part of the closing movement, whereas the hinge meansconstitutes the center during the remaining parts of the opening andclosing movements.

FOREIGN PATENTS 615,396 1/49 Great Britian.

83,209 11/56 Norway.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Examiner.

